Federal Panel Exempts Gulf Oil from Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Committee, a federal panel empowered to override protections under the Endangered Species Act, voted unanimously on Tuesday to exempt all oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico from requirements designed to safeguard endangered species. The decision, the third exemption granted by the committee in its nearly 50-year history, came at the request of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who cited national security concerns amid geopolitical tensions and ongoing litigation that he said has hindered domestic energy production.

The committee, chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and comprising senior officials from agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Agriculture, approved the broad exemption in a meeting that lasted about 15 minutes. Hegseth argued before the panel that legal challenges from environmental groups waste government resources and prevent energy companies from investing in new projects, potentially weakening U.S. energy independence. He linked the move to recent disruptions in global oil supplies, including Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz...